Earlier, we explored the history of gendered stereotypes in fragrance. To continue the conversation, let’s look at insights from Victoria Frolova’s Running with the Boys, which highlights two key factors in how fragrance and gender interact.
Cultural Differences in Scent
Fragrance is often developed and marketed in ways that suggest gendered norms are universal. In reality, these assumptions are deeply cultural. During her travels in the Middle East, Frolova recounts being offered a variety of scents after meals, including Polo and Old Spice. At an attar shop in India, she asked whether certain scents were for men or women. The elderly owner paused, tugged on his thick moustache, and replied, “If it smells good, they wear them all.”
Cultural variation is everywhere. In Brazil, women often prefer fresher, greener fragrances rather than the fruity-floral types popular in North America. A fragrance considered masculine in one country may be interpreted entirely differently elsewhere. Feminine types, too, shift meaning depending on cultural, environmental, and historical contexts. Repetition and societal acceptance solidify these associations, embedding them into our understanding of scent.
Repetition and Psychological Conditioning
The second factor is psychological. The more we are exposed to fragrance segregated by gender, the more automatic these associations become. Fougère is for men, white floral is for women, blue is for boys, pink is for girls. Over time, we rarely question why.
Many of us carry these associations from childhood. Perhaps you watched your mother spray Chanel No. 5 or your father splash on Brut. Over time, the scents became linked not just to individuals, but to what they represented in your life. The myth is reinforced by fragrance counters and marketing, leaving us conditioned to see certain scents as inherently masculine or feminine.
The question we must ask ourselves is this: why do we assign gender to scent at all? When did these opinions form? Do fragrances themselves carry masculinity or femininity, or do they simply trigger memories of men and women from our past?
At Charenton Macerations, we embrace this reflection. We recognize that fragrance is not a binary, nor should it be confined to cultural assumptions. Our creations encourage exploration, personal expression, and liberation from inherited ideas. Fragrance, like creativity itself, is meant to be experienced fully, without limits.